Dual Degree Programs

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has partnered with the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to offer opportunities for our students to combine their pharmacy training with public health or business training to take advantage of opportunities in those fields. These partnerships allow our students to earn dual degrees in Pharmacy and Business or Pharmacy and Public Health.

Pharm.D. + Ph.D.

While the School does not offer a formal combined Pharm.D./Ph.D. program, Pharm.D. students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. may choose to expedite their training by choosing elective courses from the graduate curriculum and by using a research clerkship to explore potential topics for dissertation and research.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School is consistently ranked among the world’s best M.B.A. programs. Their M.B.A. students are supported in cultivating balanced leadership strengths that benefit the bottom line & the greater good.

When combined with our enriched Pharm.D. program, our graduates are prepared for highly competitive management and administrative positions in business, health care and pharmacy. Our dual-degree students receive their education from two schools that are among the leading institutions in their respective fields.

Potential applicants:

Students must first apply to and be accepted by the Pharm.D. program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. In the fall semester of their second year in the Pharm.D. program, students can apply to the M.B.A. program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

*In order to be eligible for the M.B.A. program, students must have a four year degree.

Current students:

To help ensure each student’s success, potential applicants should meet with the director of student affairs in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy before applying to the M.B.A. program. Information sessions are held each fall for current Pharm.D. students to learn more about the dual degree program and the application process.

*Students at the Asheville campus can apply for the Pharm.D./M.B.A. program, but must move to Chapel Hill for their third and fourth years in order to take M.B.A. courses.

Office of Student Affairs

Stephanie Peterson

A shortage of public-health professionals in the United States presents opportunities for pharmacists. The Pharm.D./M.P.H. dual-degree program lets pharmacy students take advantage of those opportunities.

Program at a Glance

Earn both a doctor of pharmacy and a master of public health in five years.

Offered by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Open to Pharm.D. students with a bachelor’s degree.

Apply in the fall of your second year.

The UNC Pharm.D. program is ranked number two in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

The Gillings School is also ranked number two by U.S. News & World Report.

The dual-degree program grooms students to be health promoters and educators in their roles as pharmacists. As one of the most accessible health-care providers, pharmacists are well-positioned to help address public-health concerns such as immunization and chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

Students in the dual-degree program gain the knowledge of drug therapy and public health needed to plan, organize, manage, and perform medication-related activities within a specific public-health focus or setting.

Students who want to pursue the Pharm.D./M.P.H. must first apply and be accepted to the Pharm.D. program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. In the fall of their second year in the Pharm.D. program, they will apply for admission to the M.P.H. program in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. If admitted, they will begin the M.P.H. program in the spring of their second year.

Students at the Asheville campus can apply for the Pharm.D./M.P.H. program, but must move to Chapel Hill beginning in the summer after their PY3 year in order to take M.P..H courses.

Students will pay tuition to the pharmacy school for years one, two, three, and five. The School of Global Public Health will receive tuition for the summer sessions outlined in each department/program outline and year four.

A faculty member from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and a faculty member from the corresponding department in the Gillings School of Global Public Health will serve as mentors and advisers for students. The director of student affairs at the pharmacy school and the student services manager in each Gillings School department will serve as key contacts for the students.

Year 5: Enrolled full time in the Pharm.D. Program

Fall

APPE

EPID 718 (3)
EPID 900 (4)
EPID 992 (3)

MHCH 992
Electives (9)

PUBH 992 (3)

Spring

APPE

1 – Substantive and SPH core courses can be taken in any order or combination except for BIOS 600.2 – EPID 900 (Field Practicum) can be taken at any time.3 – Some of the PharmD courses can transfer to the Epidemiology MPH as electives.4 – Some of the PharmD courses can transfer to the MCH MPH as electives.5 – One or more of the SPH core courses may be taken as electives during the first Pharmacy years. Some of the Pharmacy courses can transfer to the HPM MPH as electives.6 – Some of the PharmD courses can transfer to the MPH as electives. The PACE elective course, The Leadership Challenge, might be used to waive part of the Leadership requirements.

Pharm.D. courses that could count toward credits for the M.P.H. program (8-12 hrs)